Ryzen's Champions

Ryzen

Ryzen is a fairly prosperous city, considering the world’s current circumstances. It focuses primarily on industry while agricultural needs are met by several outlying villages that fall under the protection of Ryzen’s military (including students at the Arcanium).

The city is located near the bottom of a cliff of the Incipio Mountains to the west. On the cliff-face itself, numerous estates and mansions have been built and/or carved out of the very rock itself, at various heights, with the newest going higher and higher up the side. These are the homes of the most wealthy, who are always trying to one-up each other by building higher up than their peers. From these lofty positions, they can look down at the ‘lower’ citizens below, as they feel safe from any Demon assault that might wipe out the city itself. Of course, most of these wealthy citizens are in such a position due to inheritance rather than skill or intelligence, so most forget that there are a great variety of Demons that could fly.

Below these estates, at the foot of the great cliff, lay the mines that dig deep into the mountain. Various metal ores have been discovered, while the vast stores of coal also found within the mountain have made mining and smithing the primary industries of Ryzen. Fortunately, the wealthy citizens living far above them don’t seem to mind the miners digging at the foundation of their homes, as long as the smoke from the forges don’t become too much of an annoyance. But due to their constant whining and complaining (which they insisted be called ‘lobbying’), the majority of the forging takes place closer to the city, leaving the poorer living spaces between the centers of mining and forges.

Just east of the primary forging area begins the great wall that surrounds the rest of the city. Within its walls live the majority of the citizens that aren’t rich enough to afford a cliff-side villa (at least the ones that are smart enough to know they’re pointless) but aren’t so poor they’re forced into the slums near the mines. Craftsmen ply their trades, several markets cater to most needs and desires (and you can find pretty much any other ‘needs’ on the black market rumored to exist in the sewers below the city), guardsmen patrol to keep the streets reasonably crime free. There are even some restaurants and cafe’s that cater primarily to the students of the Arcanium on their off time in the northern quarter of the city, although they are open to all citizens that can pay.

Just north of the city, within their own walls, lies the school Arcanium. This is where students live and train, preparing themselves for The Games. There are five dormitories; two each for male and female students, while the instructors and support personnel share the fifth. There are not many classrooms, but there are some to provide basic studies such as math and literature. Being literate is a requisite to graduate, and these facilities primarily aid those needing assistance with such things. There are a few other buildings; a library for the more studious mages-to-be and those with a technological side, as well as facilities to assist those same with practice and work areas. But the majority of the campus is dedicated to training areas. There are track fields, pools, sparring arenas, archery fields, horse stables… pretty much anything that might be required to train the bodies of the students to their desired perfect shape, should they work for it.

To the north of the Arcanium lies the ruins that serve as the battlegrounds for The Games. Everything of value, both scholarly or financially, has already been plundered. Now crumbling buildings and wide stone avenues act as the stage for combat twice a year for the student’s exams.

A distance south of the city of Ryzen runs the Sierra River. Its origin is unknown, but it comes out of the mountains to the west and runs off east as far as has been mapped. Where it ends up has long been forgotten as well. East of the city lies the Felwood, which is not nearly as bleak as its name suggests. But it does provide enough lumber to supply building materials, and what little hunting that does take place.